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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · file · mug · date · hide · current · sharp · bound

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. current — happening now
  7. file — a document
  8. club — for golf
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mug — a face
  12. club — a group
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bound — tied together
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com